The Resource kit

In 2009, the Secretariat continued to update the resource kit to reflect experience acquired in its use. A number of new documents and a new poster were developed. Other existing documents such as the Convention text, the three Conventions brochure, the Stepwise Guide, the Overview booklet, the PIC companion guide, the DNA guidance, the PIC Circular user guide and a Training Manual were revised and reprinted. Good progress was made in translating documents such as the Convention Overview into all six official languages of the United Nations.

The prototype of the e-learning CD programme on the key operational elements of the Convention was widely distributed to all major stakeholders in 2009. It was field tested and is being revised and will then be translated and made available in French and Spanish as well. The CD facilitates continuous and self-directed training at the national level to meet the challenges that arise from frequent changes in the designated national authorities in some countries.

Section E of the resource kit, on cross-cutting issues, is designed to provide guidance on how the work of the Convention could be integrated into the activities undertaken under other international agreements or programmes. It includes references to selected sources of general information on chemicals that may be of interest or use to countries in implementing the Convention. This section was refined in 2009 and expanded to reflect new information.

The Resource kit

The Secretariat has continued its efforts in revising and printing the publications already developed and expanding with new information material the resource kit in order to meet the request of Parties different stakeholders.

The e-learning CD programme on the key operational elements of the Rotterdam Convention has been translated in French and Spanish and it will be finalised with the final CD formatting by the end of June 2010. It will be made available and downloadable from website. This e-learning course facilitates continuous and self-directed training at the national level to meet the challenges that arise from frequent changes in the designated national authorities in some countries.

The key publication Guidance to the Designated National Authorities has been revised and reformatted in English, French and Spanish and it will be made available on the website by the end of June. The next three languages will be made available by the end of 2010.

A new brochure on PIC Chemicals has been prepared and made available on the website. This is meant to be a short introduction on each chemical present in Annex III to the Convention and subject to the PIC procedure. Details on chemical formula, HS code, trade names and specific use of these chemicals are reported in a concise manner.

A brochure titled Chemicals Snapshot has been prepared and translated in 6 languages. This piece contains information on what are chemicals, faith of chemicals released to the environment, the identification of risks cause by chemicals, to health and the environment and how to address them. It also provides an introduction to the scope of the three different Conventions.

Training and awareness-raising meetings

The secretariat developed a training and awareness raising programme on the implementation of the Rotterdam Convention. Sub-regional training and awareness-raising meetings are proposed for Parties that experience difficulties in meeting their basic obligations under the Convention, in order that they might fully benefit from the Convention and its activities. These meetings provide practical training on the Convention's key operational elements including practical training in preparing and submitting of notifications of Final Regulatory Actions. It promotes synergies on national level among the national authorities of the three Conventions (Rotterdam, Stockholm and Basel Conventions) and highlights opportunities for an integrated approach to implementation, along with other relevant international activities such SAICM. It includes case studies and discussions in small groups on: the preparation and submission of notifications of final regulatory actions; review of decision guidance documents and preparation and submission of import responses; review and completion of the incident report form for severely hazardous pesticide formulations; and an exercise on export notification.

Parties that have a low level of import responses, in addition to having experienced difficulties in submitting notifications of final regulatory action and changes in designated national authorities were invited to express interest in attending such a workshop.

For 2009, the Secretariat has organized three sub-regional training and awareness raising workshops for eight Francophone African countries, nine Anglophone African countries, and seven eastern European and Asian countries. In organizing these workshops, the Secretariat made use of existing Basel Centers and FAO Regional Offices. The FAO Regional Office in Accra made local arrangements for the work shop in Accra, and the Basel Convention Technical Centre in Pretoria offered to assist with local arrangements for the training workshop back-to back with a regional synergies workshop on the three Conventions, thereby maximizing the benefits for countries and simultaneously reducing the costs of the individual workshops.

It is proposed to convene two further sub-regional training and awareness raising meetings in 2010 in the South Asia and Pacific regions.

Training and awareness-raising meetings

Sub-regional training and awareness-raising meetings support Parties in meeting their basic obligations under the Convention, and so they might fully benefit from the Convention and its activities.

The Secretariat has organized during the period Oct 2009-May. 2010:

• Training and awareness raising workshop for nine Francophone African countries in Ghana (Oct. 2009)
• Training and awareness raising workshop ten Anglophone African countries in South Africa (Nov 2009)
• Training and awareness workshop for eight eastern European and Asian countries in Armenia (Nov. 2009)
• Training and awareness-raising workshop for the Latin American region in El Salvador (March 2010)

The Secretariat has also recently completed the delivery of a training and awareness-raising workshop for 7 Asia-Pacific countries held in Vietnam from 7-11 June 2010;

National and sub-regional Action Planning (NAP) meetings

National and subregional planning meetings have the objective to provide Parties with an opportunity to identify the elements of a national plan or a strategy for the implementation of the Rotterdam Convention. Participants represent key players in the implementation of the Rotterdam Convention, such as the Designated National Authorities (DNAs) under the PIC procedure, as well as representatives from Ministries which have a role in the implementation of the Convention such as Agriculture, Environment, Health, Customs Control or Foreign Affairs. Such a broad participation provides the basis for developing a plan which includes consideration of synergies in national implementation of SAICM and the Basel, Stockholm and Rotterdam Conventions.

Since it's initiation in 2005, the programme has provided forty-six Parties with the opportunity to develop a national plan, set priorities and assign time lines and responsibilities.

In 2009, two National Action Planning consultations will take place in cooperation with UNITAR. One was held in June 2009 in Togo, and another planning meeting is scheduled for the end of 2009 in Namibia.

National Follow-up seminars: In cooperation with the FAO regional Officers, national seminars were convened for Parties that had participated in the sub-regional planning meetings held in 2007-2008. The national seminars provide an opportunity to seek broader support for the national implementation plans, to review the status of implementation of the plans and to consider further country needs and priorities. A total of four national seminars where held in 2009 in Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Belize and El Salvador. One more national follow-up seminar was requested by the United Arab Emirates for November 2009.

National and sub-regional Action Planning (NAP) meetings

The following national and sub-regional NAP meetings have been carried out:

• Libya, April 2010
• Uganda, March 2010
• Sub-regional NAP Anglophone Africa, Botswana, April 2010
• Sub-regional NAP for Near East Aleppo, Syria, 20 – 24 June 2010 (Jordan - Kuwait - Lebanon - Oman - Qatar - Saudi Arabia - Sudan - Syrian Arab Republic - United Arab Emirates – Yemen )

The following national NAP meetings have been scheduled:

• NAP for DPRK Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, 28 June to 2 July 2010, convened in cooperation with UNITAR
• Subregional NAP Francophone Africa, Rwanda, 11- 16 July 2010
• NAP Madagascar, October 2010
• Sub-regional NAP for Central Asia (Ukraine, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Khazakstan, October 2010
• Sub-regional NAP for South America, 15-19 November 2010 in Santiago, Chile

National Follow-up seminars: In cooperation with the FAO Regional Officers, national seminars are convened for Parties that had participated in the sub-regional planning meetings. A follow-up seminar took place in November 2009 in Belize.

Trade related issues

The Secretariat developed a concept for a workshop with the overall objective of promoting a shared responsibility in the implementation and enforcement of the trade related provisions of the Rotterdam Convention by facilitating a dialogue among exporting parties and trade partners.

The Secretariat convened, for representatives of the European Community and selected trade partners, such a trade partner meeting from 22-26 June 2009 in Cyprus. Representatives from the European Commission, France, Germany, India, Iran, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Spain, Sudan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Venezuela attended the meeting.

Participants reviewed the current operational procedures in the countries present and received feedback from the perspective of their trade partners as to what was working well, what might be improved and how. Several break-out groups were held to provide a forum for discussions based on case examples of actual occurrences submitted by participants. These opportunities for discussion were met with an open, cooperative spirit among the participants. The workshop resulted in the identification of issues that were country-specific as well as common across countries and follow up actions were proposed for the short, medium and long term.

A second similar trade partners meeting will be convened from 19-22 October 2009 in Nanjing, China, for China and some major trading partners (Brazil, Pakistan, South Africa, Thailand and Viet Nam). This trade partner meeting is a follow-up to a National Thematic Meeting on Trade Related Issues under the Rotterdam Convention that was held in October 2007 in Hang Zhou, China.

Trade related issues

In 2009, the Secretariat conducted two meetings on trade related issues under the Rotterdam Convention, one for the European Community and selected trade partners and one for China and selected trade partners.

The overall objective of the workshops was to promote a shared responsibility in the implementation and enforcement of the trade related provisions of the Convention by facilitating dialogue among exporting Parties. The need to better understand the challenges associated with the operation of the trade aspects of the Convention, in particular the role of exporting Parties and the relationship between exporting and importing Parties, is an issue of concern to many Parties.

The workshops provided an opportunity for exporting Parties to receive feedback on the effectiveness of their operational procedure and for selected importing Parties to better understand any changes that may be needed at the national level to benefit more fully from this procedure.

These workshops will continue in the future pending adequate resources.

Development of a monitoring programme on severely hazardous pesticides formulations

The Secretariat developed activities targeted at developing monitoring programmes on severely hazardous pesticides formulations (SHPF). The overall objective of this activity is to support countries in improving capacities for the collection of information about health problems caused by SHPF under the conditions of use in order to assist countries to submit proposals under the Rotterdam Convention.

Broader Programme on severely hazardous pesticides formulations: A broader programme on SHPF is being developed by the Secretariat. The programme will establish links between individual activities such as the FAO programme on Highly Hazardous Pesticides, WHO's work on Poison Control and the work under the Rotterdam Convention. The elements of the programme will cover awareness raising and preparation of relevant documents, and will address different layers of key players in reporting SHPF in order to address the bottlenecks in proposing severely hazardous pesticide formulations. Further elements of the broader programme on SHPF are individual activities with Parties that have requested assistance, and the development of a resource or tool kit to provide background documentation that can serve for awareness raising, planning and implementing activities related to severely hazardous pesticide formulations.

National programme to monitor severely hazardous pesticides formulations: Under a Letter of Agreement with the Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention and the Pesticide Action Network-UK (PAN-UK), a second phase of a project on monitoring and reporting SHPFs was initiated in 2009 in Tanzania and Togo. The community health monitoring pilot programmes in the two countries are being carried out in autumn 2009 and will have established by the end of 2009, in two pilot regions in each of the two countries, a process for monitoring and reporting pesticide incidents.

The Secretariat, in close cooperation with the WHO, has implemented in 2009 a Joint Project in Tanzania and Ghana to Improve Capacities for the Identification of SHPF under the Rotterdam Convention.

An inception workshop for both countries was convened from 24 to 26 June 2009 in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Some 30 participants from Ghana and Tanzania attended the meeting, representing a wide range of key stakeholders including relevant Ministries, NGOs, WHO and FAO. The workshop resulted in national plans for the implementation of a data collection project in each country, including plans for the development of methodologies and tools for the data collection, analysis and evaluation, identification of the data to be collected, who will collect it, how it will be collected, what data collection tools will be used and what institutional mechanisms will be needed. Training needs and the need to develop training materials were identified. The country activities will conclude with a short national meeting where results will be presented and possible next steps discussed.

Resource/tool kit on severely hazardous pesticides formulations: The Secretariat has initiated the development of a set of documents on SHPF that, once available, will assist national authorities in developing countries in monitoring and reporting pesticide incidents under Article 6 of the Convention. The toolkit will be based on documentation developed in the pilot countries (Ghana, Tanzania, Togo, and Ecuador) and will take into consideration tools developed by Partners such as WHO, FAO, PAN, other countries and other NGOs. Once ready, the toolkit will provide a useful tool to other countries.

The resource/tool kit would contain a few essential documents that are already available with the Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention (SHPF form and instructions), other documents that were developed by local NGOs and Designated National Authorities of Tanzania and Togo under co-ordination of PAN-UK, and WHO handbooks, guidance documents and other useful information. A number of additional documents will need to be developed, taking into consideration the existing ones, possibly including topics such as guidance on incident report forms; monitoring of SHPF; pesticide incidents; data collection methodologies, sources and planning of data collection projects; case studies.

Development of a monitoring programme on severely hazardous pesticides formulations

The Secretariat continued to work on the development of a tool kit on monitoring and reporting of severely hazardous pesticide formulations. The tool kit will provide useful information and guidance to countries that wish to address the issue at national level.

In co-operation with partners such as WHO and PAN-UK, an inception workshop was convened in July 2009 and national pilot projects were implemented in Ghana, Tanzania and Togo.

In May 2010 an inception workshop on monitoring and reporting pesticide incidents was convened in Togo, and stake holders drafted national pilot projects for Togo, Côte d’Ivoire and Mali. Burkina Faso and Mali initiated implementation of such pilot projects on SHPF.

Resource Mobilization to support Parties

COP-4 requested the Secretariat to organize a series of workshops to provide support to Parties so that they can successfully access financial resources required to implement the Rotterdam Convention. The Secretariat is working together with UNITAR, with the Stockholm and Basel Conventions and with SAICM on the planning and delivery of workshops and guidance materials which will assist Parties in accessing resources necessary for the implementation of the chemicals conventions. Guidance materials might include the development of standard SAICM project formats incorporating generic provisions of the Convention. The Secretariat continues to work with the UNEP resource mobilization unit in linking relevant priority areas of the programme of work of the Convention with UNEP's Programme of Work on harmful substances and hazardous wastes.

Resource Mobilization to support Parties

The Secretariat is working together with UNITAR, with the Stockholm and Basel Conventions and with SAICM on the planning and delivery of workshops and guidance materials, which will assist Parties access resources necessary for the implementation of the chemicals and waste conventions. Four sub-regional workshops are being planned for the period 2010-2011 in close cooperation with UNITAR. This series of subregional training workshops will be implemented together with the Secretariats of the Basel and Stockholm Conventions as well as the SAICM Secretariat.

In addition, training modules to assist Parties develop project proposals and enable them to have improved access to financial resources to meet their obligations under the 3 Conventions was delivered to sub-regions during of the awareness raising workshops on synergies. These workshops were held in Pretoria, South Africa (October 2009), Montevideo, Uruguay (November 2009) and Beijing, China (April 2010)(see section "Follow-up to the synergies decision").

Support to the preparation of notifications of Final Regulatory Actions

These activities are intended to build the capacity of developing country Parties to prepare and submit complete notifications of final regulatory action that are subject to the scrutiny of the Chemical Review Committee.

CRC Experts Training: The Chemical Review Committee (CRC) is composed of 31 experts from different regions. The Secretariat will conduct a workshop for CRC experts to increase their awareness of the functioning, procedures and review mechanisms of the CRC to enable Parties to make informed decisions about chemicals being submitted to CRC. A successful process for the review of notifications of final regulatory action and a better understanding by countries of what is needed will improve the functioning of the Convention's mechanisms. The Secretariat's training will involve the use of practical, hands-on and technical material; experienced experts will share their knowledge and address concerns; the workshop is also intended to prepare experts for discussions at the CRC meeting (March 2010). The workshop will take place in early December 2009 in Budapest.

CRC/POPRC Training: The Stockholm and Rotterdam Conventions chemical review committees (POPRC and CRC) have very similar structures and similar mandates. Under the synergies process, the two Secretariats will jointly raise awareness on the functions and operation of the two committees. Better informed stakeholders, particularly national authorities are essential for the successful submissions of candidate chemicals which meet the requirements for consideration by the review committees of the two conventions. The two Secretariats are in the process of organizing a workshop in the African region that will ultimately support an increase in the number of chemicals listed under the annexes of the two conventions. The workshop will consist of joint and separate sessions for the RC and SC and will provide learning opportunities and experience sharing among the stakeholders and experts. The workshop will be held at the end of November 2009 in Egypt. Another workshop is foreseen to take place in January 2010 for the GRULAC region.

Consultations with Parties to increase the submission of notifications: The Secretariat intends to conduct a series of consultations with Parties to encourage them to increase the number of notifications submitted to the Secretariat, especially on industrial chemicals - in particular on chemicals which are or have recently been considered under the Stockholm Convention.

Support to the preparation of notifications of Final Regulatory Actions

These activities are intended to build the capacity of developing country Parties to prepare and submit complete notifications of final regulatory action that pass the scrutiny of the Chemical Review Committee (CRC). This support is integrated within and as part of all Technical Assistance activities and workshops. CRC Experts Training: The Secretariat organised a workshop for CRC experts to increase their awareness of the functioning, procedures and review mechanisms of the CRC to enable Parties to make informed decisions about chemicals being submitted to CRC. The Secretariat carried out one training for the CRC experts in Budapest, Hungary in Dec. 2009. CRC/POPRC Training: The Stockholm and Rotterdam Conventions chemical review committees (POPRC and CRC) have very similar structures and similar mandates. Consequently, the two Secretariats organized a joint workshop which took place in November 2009 in Cairo, Egypt with the attendance of over 50 participants from more than 20 countries. The training addressed several items of the work programme including the notification process, information exchange as well as achieving synergies with Stockholm and will be extended to other regions. The next CRC/POPRC training workshop recently took place from 8 - 10 June 2010 in Mexico with participation of DNAs and Focal Points from the Latin American and Caribbean region and several experts with previous experience on Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions and the operation of the chemicals committees. 35 participants attended this workshop. A subsequent workshop is being planned for November 2010 to cover part of the Asian region.

Working with customs authorities

Another priority area approved at COP-4 is the need to support Parties on customs-related activities relevant to the Rotterdam Convention:

Capacity building for customs authorities: The Secretariat has been actively involved in the delivery of a number of training workshops in conjunction with the World Customs Organization (WCO) and with the Green Customs Initiative (GCI), of which the Secretariat is a partner. During 2009, the Secretariat contributed to customs training workshops held in India, Nigeria, Mongolia, Qatar, Budapest and Kenya. The Secretariat's involvement in these workshops supported training the customs officials and helped increase the profile of the RC and its work. During the period 2009-2011, the Secretariat's participation in more workshops is foreseen. Also, the Secretariat has joined the WCO's newly established 'ENVIRONET ' network for border protection and is also a partner in the activities by the Multilateral Environmental Agreements-Regional Enforcement Network (MEA-REN). These networks aim at promoting integrated regional cooperation for the control of transboundary movement of chemicals.

Working with the WCO on Harmonized System (HS) codes: The Secretariat continues to work with the WCO on the assignment of HS codes to Annex III chemicals. These codes are a major international tool for the control of chemicals at the borders.

Working with UNITAR on GHS: The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) is a system for standardizing and harmonizing the classification and labelling of chemicals. It provides a comprehensive approach to defining hazards of chemicals, creating classification processes and communicating hazard information, as well as protective measures, on labels and Safety Data Sheets (SDS). The GHS is another important tool for the control of trade in hazardous chemicals. The Secretariat is collaborating with UNITAR on the development of joint capacity building activities to support the existing GHS UNITAR training programme as well as the joint development of related tools.

Customs materials currently being developed by the Secretariat include:

• Brochure on HS codes (in the process of translation)
• Brochure on chemicals common to the 3 conventions (with the designer)
• Rotterdam Convention specific chemicals brochure (under development)
• Green Customs Guide which contains a section on the Rotterdam Convention
• Brochure on the environmental effects of chemicals across the 3 chemicals Conventions (under development)
• Customs Toolkit relevant to the Rotterdam Convention (under development)
• Customs specific section on the Rotterdam Convention website

Working with customs authorities

Capacity building for customs authorities: The Secretariat has been actively involved in the delivery of a number of training workshops in conjunction with the World Customs Organization (WCO) and with the Green Customs Initiative (GCI), of which the Secretariat is a partner. As part of the GCI, the Secretariat participated in the partners’ meeting that was held on 8 and 9 February 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland.

In addition, the Secretariat participated in the following training activities to customs authorities which were organized by the GCI/WCO:

• For the EECCA region in Budapest (Oct 2009)
• For the GRULAC region in the Dominican Republic (Nov 2009)
• For the GRULAC region in Mexico City (Nov 2009)
• A border dialogue between India and Nepal (Nov/Dec 2009);
• GCI/WCO meeting Middle East, Lebanon, April 2010.

The Secretariat has also taken part of the third meeting of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements-Regional Enforcement Network (MEA-REN) in Bangkok, Thailand (Oct 2009) and has actively provided input to the MEA-REN Newsletter. Furthermore, the Secretariat has sent an invitation to all DNAs to join the WCO's newly established 'ENVIRONET ' network for border protection and is also a partner in the activities by the Multilateral Environmental Agreements-Regional Enforcement Network (MEA-REN). These networks aim at promoting integrated regional cooperation for the control of transboundary movement of chemicals.

In April 2010 the Secretariat launched a dedicated website in order to provide readily accessible information on the Rotterdam Convention to customs authorities. The website can be viewed at: http://www.pic.int/customs/Minisite/Roles.html

Development of customs materials: Training and reference materials currently being developed by the Secretariat include:

• Brochure on HS codes (finalized)
• Poster on chemicals common to the 3 conventions (finalized)
• Rotterdam Convention-specific chemicals brochure (in print, on the web)
• Brochure on the environmental effects on chemicals across the 3 conventions (presented at ExCOPs) (finalized)
• Rotterdam Convention-specific - Customs Toolkit (finalized)
• New Customs specific section on the website (finalized)
• E-learning tool on the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (initiated)

Working with UNITAR on the GHS: The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) is a system for standardizing and harmonizing the classification and labelling of chemicals. The secretariat is collaborating with UNITAR on the development of joint capacity building activities to support the existing GHS UNITAR training programme as well as the joint development of related tools. Under this initiative, the Rotterdam Convention Secretariat has taken the lead to develop a guidance tool on GHS and the three Conventions. The guidance tool is expected to be ready by July 2010. The tool will then provide the basis for future workshops and information materials on GHS and the three Conventions. A second phase of GHS related industrial chemicals management as a synergy activity will also be developed in the near future.

Probo Koala project: The Secretariat participates in the "Probo Koala enforcement Programme" led by the Basel Convention Secretariat. The Secretariat has provided inputs to the Programme currently being implemented in Cote d'Ivoire and which will be duplicated in various other African (and possible Caribbean) countries. Furthermore, the Secretariat was represented at the first consultation meetings in Abidjan in Nov. 2009 and Feb. 2010.

In the lead to develop a guidance tool on GHS and the three Conventions. The guidance tool is expected to be ready by July 2010. The tool will then provide the basis for future workshops and information materials on GHS and the three Conventions. A second phase of GHS related industrial chemicals management as a synergy activity will also be developed in the near future. Probo Koala project: The Secretariat is provided inputs to the Programme currently being implemented in Côte d’Ivoire and which will be duplicated in various other African (and possible Caribbean) countries. Furthermore, the Secretariat was represented at the first consultation meetings in Abidjan in November 2009 and February 2010.

Fostering cooperation

The Secretariat continued delivery of sub-regional meetings between designated national authorities (DNAs). Such meetings provide an opportunity for DNAs to review progress in the implementation of the Convention, identify common problems and share experience in finding solutions. A key element of the meeting is the opportunity offered to identify opportunities for regional co-operation and with authorities of the Stockholm and Basel Conventions and SAICM.

One subregional meeting for designated national authorities from Central American countries (Belize, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Venezuela) was convened from 1-5 December 2008 in Panama.

Fostering cooperation

Sub-regional co-operation among stakeholders of Rotterdam-, Stockholm- and Basel-Conventions was strengthened in the reporting period through convening of sub-regional training workshops, action plan meetings and synergies workshops.

Legal support to Parties

The Secretariat is providing advice and guidance on general legal and policy questions, including on implementation of the Convention and its related programme of work components, to individual Parties, to the Secretariat, to the Conference of the Parties (COP), including the simultaneous extraordinary meetings of the COPs, and to the Chemical Review Committee as requested and needed, fostering synergies with other relevant Secretariats, such as the Stockholm and Basel Convention Secretariats, as well as other entities where necessary.

The Secretariat is providing legal support in connection with technical assistance programmes, such as the “Probo Koala project” mentioned in the section “working with customs authorities” of the current progress report, and more specifically by developing the legal component of technical assistance programmes for Parties to ensure an effective legal basis for the implementation of the Convention and facilitate the development of national capacity, including personnel and infrastructure, to implement the legal obligations of the Convention. New and innovative mechanisms of delivering the information and assistance package to Parties include, among others, the inclusion of specific legal segments in the programmes of technical assistance workshops and the development of legal guidance materials such as case studies, fostering synergies with the Stockholm and Basel Convention Secretariats, where necessary.

The Secretariat is cooperating with the UNEP Division on Environmental Law and Conventions,, to assist Governments in more effective and coherent implementation of existing international commitments by participating in, among others: the ninth Global Training Programme (GTP-9) on Environmental Law and Policy, held in November 2009 in Nairobi 2009 (see www.unep.org/Law/Programme_work/Training/global_training_prog.asp), and the preparing of an integrated synthesis of existing international environmental goals, objectives and targets (see www.unep.org/law/PDF/ExistingIntAgreedGoalsandObjectives.pdf . In this context, the Secretariat participated in the “First open-ended meeting of government-designated experts on a compilation of internationally agreed environmental goals and objectives” which was held from 29 – 31 March 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland.

In further cooperative efforts, the Secretariat is working with the UNEP Chemicals branch for the delivery of UNEP/UNDP legal workshops, as launched in Cambodia in December 2009, and the development of legal guidance on the sound management of chemicals, including industrial chemicals. For this reason, it participated in the “First expert group meeting on the development of legal and institutional infrastructures and cost recovery measures for the sound management of chemicals”, held from 29 to 30 April 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland. In a synergistic approach to activities relevant to industrial chemicals, the Secretariat provided input on the following set of documents, currently in draft format and being tested in limited national situations.

Follow-up to the synergies decision

The Secretariat is already implementing the synergies decision across most of its activities, i.e. planning and delivery of capacity building, project development, approaches to donors, coordination on technical and scientific issues, regional delivery, etc., in particular in the areas of industrial chemicals, working with customs authorities, clearing house mechanism, resource mobilization and supporting Parties with the preparation of notifications.

Extraordinary COPs: In collaboration with the Rotterdam Convention Bureau, the Secretariat is actively contributing to the preparations of the First Simultaneous Extraordinary Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions on enhancing cooperation and coordination, scheduled to take place in Bali, Indonesia, 22-26 February 2010. The website address for the meetings is: http://excops.unep.ch/

Regional synergies workshops: A series of regional synergies workshops are being organized jointly with the Secretariats of the Basel and Stockholm Conventions to enhance cooperation and collaboration to facilitate joint implementation of the three Conventions at the national level. The emphasis is placed on identifying synergies and linkages at the national level as a way to foster compliance with the Conventions' requirements. Consideration will also be given to opportunities for technical and financial assistance when implementing the Conventions in a coordinated manner. The first synergies workshop will be held in October 2009 in Pretoria, South Africa and two other regional workshops are foreseen in 2009-2010.

Regional synergies programmes: The Secretariat is supporting the development of specific regional and national programmes for the joint implementation of the three Conventions at the national and regional levels, in close cooperation with the Basel and Stockholm Conventions.

Follow-up to the synergies decision

In follow up to the synergies decision, the Secretariat has been involved in a number of activities:

Extraordinary COPs: In collaboration with the Rotterdam Convention Bureau, the Secretariat has actively contributed to the preparations of the First Simultaneous Extraordinary Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions on enhancing cooperation and coordination, which took take place in Bali, Indonesia, 22–24 February 2010. The report to the above meeting, including its decisions, is contained in document UNEP/FAO/CHW/RC/POPS/EXCOPS.1/8 (available on the website http://excops.unep.ch/).

Regional synergies workshops: The Secretariat continues to organize regional synergies workshops jointly with the Secretariats of the Basel and Stockholm Conventions to enhance cooperation and collaboration to facilitate joint implementation of the three Conventions at the national level. The first synergies workshops were held in October 2009 in Pretoria, South Africa, Montevideo, Uruguay in Nov. 2009 and Beijing, China in April 2010. Two additional regional workshops are foreseen before the end of 2010: One in Cairo, Egypt for the Arabic speaking countries and a second in Eastern Europe.

Regional synergies programmes: The Secretariat has been supportive to the development of regional and national programmes for the joint implementation of the three Conventions at the national and regional level, in close cooperation with the Basel and Stockholm Conventions. Expressions of interest have been received by countries from the South Asia region and the Latin American region.

Inter-Secretariat Thematic Groups: The Secretariat participates in 5 of the different thematic groups (Technical assistance, Public awareness and outreach, Regional Centres, Clearing house mechanism and Scientific and Technical matters) established between the Secretariats of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions to focus on cross-cutting issues.

Working on industrial chemicals

The way in which the specific needs of individual Parties will be addressed depends on the issue of concern and the Parties involved. The current technical assistance activities of the Secretariat in this area include:

• Support to new Parties to raise awareness of the Convention;
• Specific assistance to Parties in response to their requests.

Working directly with individual countries on specific issues

The way in which the specific needs of individual Parties are addressed depends on the issue of concern and the Parties involved. One recent example is the country consultation planned in February 2010 for Colombia, which recently has become a Party of the Rotterdam Convention. Colombia had requested some specific guidance on the Convention's implementation (see section on new Parties for more information). A joint supporting mission to Colombia was organized in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention.

Ethiopia is strengthening its capacities to reduce the risks from pesticides through a number of trust fund projects with bilateral donors and FAO. Upon request, the Secretariat is providing guidance and advice regarding import decisions and controls, and in setting up a pilot project on monitoring and reporting pesticide incidents.

Upon receipt of requests for specific assistance on technical issues related to the implementation from D.R. Congo, Benin and Guinea Bissau, a technical mission to provide hands- on advice in resolving issues and to provide practical training was conducted end of May 2010.

Working on industrial chemicals 

In collaboration with key partners, the Secretariat has been working on the development of a comprehensive industrial chemicals programme which comprises the following elements:

Roadmap on industrial chemicals: A strategy on industrial chemicals has been developed in collaboration with the Stockholm and Basel Conventions. This strategy provides a 'roadmap' for the implementation of a programme on industrial chemicals addressing the provisions of the Rotterdam Convention, while recognizing the need for an integrated approach. The road map also addresses the technical assistance components on industrial chemicals mandated by COP-4.

The above-mentioned roadmap on industrial chemicals addresses 4 key pillars:

1. Awareness-raising on industrial chemicals management and information exchange on the Rotterdam Convention and other relevant chemicals MEAs (Basel Convention, Stockholm Convention, SAICM, Montreal Protocol etc.);
2. Building national capacity for performing risk assessments;
3. Building national capacities for developing and implementing risk management measures (development/strengthening of national legislation and policies for the sound management of industrial chemicals);
4. Knowledge development at the national and regional levels;

This roadmap will include, among others, the development of the following legal tools to support implementation of the Convention by the Parties:

• Legal case studies;
• A compilation of key legal elements related to industrial chemicals

Industrial chemicals in the Asia Pacific region: The Secretariat is in the process of implementing a project in collaboration with WHO, ILO and other partners to support the sound management of Industrial Chemicals in the Asia and Pacific region, focusing on industrial chemicals, with a special emphasis on asbestos. WHO’s Risk Assessment Toolkit (see below) as well as other relevant guidance materials addressing health and environmental aspects will support a series of workshops envisaged for 2010.

Current status:

• Inception workshop scheduled for 18-20 May 2010 in Bangkok; this activity was further postponed to 31 August to 3 September 2010
• Pilot workshops are also being planned.
• A legal case study is also currently being developed.

Industrial chemicals in the Africa and LAC regions: Two regional awareness-raising workshops on industrial chemicals management were jointly organized with SAICM, WHO and the Secretariat for early 2010 for the Africa and Latin American regions. These workshops are intended to support the safe management of industrial chemicals.

The following activities have been undertaken:

• SAICM back-to-back workshop in Abidjan 25-29 January 2010
• SAICM back-to-back workshop in Jamaica 13 March 2010

A similar activity for the Asia Pacific region is being developed back-to-back with the Asbestos inception workshop scheduled for 3 September 2010, in Bangkok.

Checklist for the safe management of industrial chemicals: The Secretariat has developed of a checklist to be used as a tool during Technical Assistance activities for Parties to support the safe management of industrial chemicals. This checklist will provide Parties with some key elements to address industrial chemicals at the national level. It will also address synergies on industrial chemicals between the three conventions as well as with SAICM.

The Secretariat is also planning the following actions relevant to industrial chemicals:

Development of a training tool with content and processes aiming to support to the implementation of a sound national chemicals management system for industrial chemicals in developing countries; (To be completed before end of 2010)

Testing of the methodology through training workshops in three pilot countries in other UN regions; These workshops will be composed of awareness raising and needs assessment national workshops (1 day each), development of the implementation plan by countries and discussion in national workshops (2 days each); finalisation of activities within countries and preparation of case studies; (to be initiated before the end of 2010)

WHO's Risk Assessment Toolkit: the Secretariat has collaborated with the WHO on the development of a risk assessment toolkit that will support developing countries in their risk assessment efforts related to hazardous chemicals. The toolkit provides information, flowcharts and case studies on risk assessment methodology and includes a section on the Rotterdam Convention. The draft toolkit is already being utilized in the delivery of technical assistance activities on risk assessments, which are also being organized in collaboration with the WHO. The Rotterdam Convention Secretariat reviewed and commented on the toolkit and the toolkit has been finalized. The dissemination of the toolkit also took place during the industrial chemicals activities organized with SAICM.

Legal framework for industrial chemicals: As mentioned under the section "provision of support to Parties and Secretariat", the Secretariat is cooperating with the UNEP Chemicals branch for the development of legal guidance on industrial chemicals. The Secretariat will also prepare case studies on the development of legal framework for industrial chemicals. These case studies will include an analysis of the challenges and lessons learned on the development of legal instruments in specific countries and are expected to serve as a practical guidance to Parties.

Working on industrial chemicals

At COP-4, Parties requested the Secretariat to develop a programme for the sound management of industrial chemicals and stressed the importance of providing technical assistance to Parties to safely manage industrial chemicals. The Secretariat has been working on the following items related to industrial chemicals:

Roadmap on industrial chemicals: A draft strategy on industrial chemicals is in the process of being developed in collaboration with the Stockholm and Basel Conventions. This strategy provides a 'roadmap' for the implementation of an integrated programme on industrial chemicals and also addresses the technical assistance components on industrial chemicals mandated by COP-4.

The above-mentioned roadmap on industrial chemicals addresses 4 key pillars:

1. Awareness-raising on industrial chemicals management and information exchange on the Rotterdam Convention and other relevant chemicals MEAs (Basel Convention, Stockholm Convention, SAICM, Montreal Protocol etc.);
2. Building national capacity for performing risk assessments;
3. Building national capacities for developing and implementing risk management measures (development/strengthening of national legislation and policies for the sound management of industrial chemicals);
4. Knowledge development at the national and regional levels;

Industrial chemicals in the Asia Pacific region: The Secretariat is implementing a project in collaboration with WHO, ILO and other partners to support the sound management of industrial chemicals in the Asia and Pacific region, with a special emphasis on asbestos. WHO's risk assessment toolkit as well as other relevant guidance materials addressing health and environmental aspects will support a series of workshops envisaged for 2010.

Industrial chemicals in the Africa and LAC regions: Two regional awareness-raising workshops on industrial chemicals are being jointly organized with SAICM, WHO and the Secretariat for early 2010 for the Africa and Latin American region. These workshops are intended to support the sound management of industrial chemicals.

Synergies on industrial chemicals: The Secretariat is working together with the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions on increasing regional and national capacity to safely manage hazardous industrial chemicals. The three Secretariats have jointly developed a project proposal, for consideration for funding and collaborative implementation with the World Bank. The proposal includes the delivery of technical assistance, the development of relevant materials, knowledge sharing and monitoring and evaluation.

Information to support the sound management of industrial chemicals: The Secretariat is developing a document for Parties to support the sound management of industrial chemicals. This document will provide Parties with some key elements to address industrial chemicals at the national level and address synergies on industrial chemicals between the three conventions and SAICM.

WHO's Risk Assessment Toolkit: The Secretariat is collaborating with the WHO on the development of a risk assessment toolkit that will help developing countries in their risk assessment efforts related to hazardous chemicals. The toolkit provides information, flowcharts and case studies on risk assessment methodology and includes a section on the Rotterdam Convention. The draft toolkit is already being utilized in the delivery of technical assistance activities on risk assessments, which are being organized in collaboration with WHO. Risk assessment experts from China, Malaysia and Thailand will be testing the toolkit to tailor it to a more user-friendly and efficient format and content, along with support from the Rotterdam Convention Secretariat and an expert working group. The first meeting on the preparatory phase to test the toolkit took place in July in Bangkok, Thailand. The next meeting for the testing phase of the toolkit will take place in October 2009. Once ready, the toolkit will provide a useful tool to raise awareness on chemicals' related risks and how to assess them and will also be one of the major tools of the Secretariat's industrial chemicals programme.

Legal framework on industrial chemicals: The Secretariat is developing a new area of work that requires the strengthening of capacity building activities (priority area 7) in order to assist Parties with the implementation of an adequate legal and administrative framework to support the sound management of industrial chemicals. To that purpose, the Secretariat is working in close cooperation with UNEP's Division on Environmental Law and Conventions (DELC) on: i) the inclusion of the RC in DELC's training curricula on environmental law; and ii) the development of guidance to Parties concerning the legal and administrative infrastructures required to safely manage industrial chemicals.

Establishment of a clearing-house mechanism

COP-4 approved two new priority areas which relate to the establishment of, and training on a Clearing House Mechanism for the Rotterdam Convention, in cooperation with the Stockholm and Basel Conventions. In addition, the synergies decision on enhancing cooperation and coordination among the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions requested the three Secretariats to develop, inter alia, systems of information exchange on health and environmental impacts, including a Clearing House Mechanism, with the aim of these systems serving all three conventions.

The Secretariat is currently working with the Secretariats of the Basel and Stockholm Conventions on the following activities in response to the above-mentioned decisions:

Development of a strategy for a clearing house mechanism (CHM): A strategy setting out short, medium and long term goals has been developed and discussed with the Stockholm and Basel Convention Secretariats. This plan constitutes the basis for the activities of the programme from the Rotterdam Convention's position, to be implemented in cooperation with the Basel and Stockholm Conventions.

Development of a common work plan: On activities relating to the implementation of systems of information exchange on health and environmental impacts, including a Clearing House Mechanism for the three conventions, a common workplan is under preparation and will be presented at the simultaneous Extraordinary Conference of the Parties Meetings for the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions in Bali, Indonesia, from 22 to 26 February 2010.

Development of CHM Prototypes: The design and development of the future Clearing House Mechanism has been initiated:

• A prototype central portal for the future Clearing House Mechanism is being designed;
• A prototype Import Country Response module is being developed to assist and better equip Parties to submit Import Responses on chemicals subject to the PIC procedure. It will be operational for pilot testing in November 2009;
• A prototype Focal Points module is being developed aiming to improve the access to, and management of, national Focal Points contact information for the Rotterdam Convention. It will be operational for pilot testing in November 2009. Further development is planned to include access to, and management of, similar data for the Basel and Stockholm Conventions.

Pioneering pilot workshop on the CHM Prototypes: Preparations are ongoing for the delivery of a pioneering pilot workshop in Armenia in November 2009 on the aforementioned prototype modules of the Convention's clearing-house central portal. This pilot training session is designed for Designated National Authorities (DNAs) and other stakeholders and is being organized in conjunction with the training and awareness workshop. The meeting will be attended by representatives of 8 countries from the region.

Further developments for the Extraordinary-COPs: A demonstration of progress made on the joint activities regarding the development of systems of information exchange of the three Conventions is planned to be presented at the simultaneous Extraordinary Conference of the Parties Meetings for the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions in Bali, Indonesia, from 22 to 26 February 2010.

Establishment of a clearing-house mechanism

The Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention is currently working in collaboration with the Secretariats of the Basel and Stockholm Conventions on the following activities to establish a clearing-house mechanism:

Development of a joint work plan completed: On activities relating to the implementation of a joint-clearing house mechanism for the three Conventions, a joint workplan (UNEP/FAO/CHW/RC/POPS/EXCOPS.1/INF/2) has been established and endorsed by the extraordinary meetings of the Conferences of the Parties in February 2010.

Ongoing development of prototype modules of the clearing-house mechanism specific to the Rotterdam Convention: In the context of the Convention's clearing-house mechanism activities (priority 18 & 38 of the programme of work 2009-2011 approved by COP-4), elements of a clearing-house mechanism specific to the Rotterdam Convention, compatible with the information exchange activities of the Basel and Stockholm Convention's, are being developed and pilot-tested to provide specific support to Parties to increase their access to the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) database and other relevant available information resources, and facilities that would assist Parties in the implementation of the Convention.

To date, activities have focused on the development of a prototype Import-Response module, in addition to a prototype searchable contacts database for the 3 Conventions. Further clearing-house modules are scheduled for development including a Final Regulatory Action's module, and a section devoted to Industrial Chemicals.

First pilot training session on the prototype components of the clearing-house mechanism specific to the Rotterdam Convention: The first pilot training session on the aforementioned prototypes took place in Armenia for eight Central European countries in Nov. 2009. This pilot training session was designed for Designated National Authorities (DNAs) and other stakeholders and was organized in conjunction with the sub-regional training and awareness workshop for that region. The meeting was attended by representatives of 8 countries from the region.

Second pilot training session on the prototype components of the clearing-house mechanism specific to the Rotterdam Convention: The second pilot training session designed for DNAs and other stakeholders on the aforementioned prototype modules was held in conjunction with the sub-regional training and awareness raising workshop in Vietnam in June 2010. The meeting was attended by representatives of 7 countries from the region.

Partners in the regional delivery of technical assistance

FAO and UNEP regional offices: As approved at COP-4, the Secretariat convened an annual meeting for Regional and Sub-regional Officers with the objective to review progress in 2008 and assist in the preparation of planning activities for 2009. The meeting, held from 23 to 24 February 2009 in Rome, Italy, was attended by 13 regional and sub-regional officers.

A further meeting for FAO and UNEP regional offices is proposed for 2010 to review progress in 2009 and develop further ideas for meeting the countries' technical assistance needs in preparation of the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties.

Asia Pacific Plant Protection Commission: The 26th session of the Asia Pacific Plant Protection Commission took place from 30 August to 4 September 2009. In follow-up to the work initiated in 2005, participation in the meeting of regional experts and a limited number of designated national authorities from representative member countries promoted the inclusion of the Rotterdam Convention in the work programme of the Commission. A presentation was given in plenary. The Standing Committee on Pesticides discussed issues related to ratification and implementation on the Rotterdam Convention. The Committee called upon Governments to continue efforts to ratify and implement the Rotterdam Convention.

African Pesticide Regulators Consultation: The Third Consultation of African Pesticide Regulators was convened from 9-11 June 2009, in Pretoria, South Africa. Some 30 participants attended the meeting. The Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention, represented by a FAO Sub-regional Officer, introduced international obligations, the relevance of the Rotterdam Convention, and the scope and objectives of the Basel, Stockholm and Rotterdam Conventions. Participants discussed opportunities for linking activities into their respective national frameworks for pesticide life cycle management.

Capacity building related to MEAs in ACP countries: The Secretariat is currently working with the Secretariats of the Basel and Stockholm Conventions to support the implementation of the European Commission's MEA Programme for African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. This European Union (EU) funded 21 million euro four-year capacity enhancement programme aims to address one of the central issues currently facing the international environmental community: the implementation of MEAs. Having become Parties to numerous MEAs, many African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries face the enormous challenge of implementing their obligations. The Secretariat communicated priority areas approved at COP-4 to the ACP regional hubs and invited the hubs to incorporate these priorities in the development of their work programmes. The Secretariat provided joint representation at a needs assessment meeting for the African Hub held in Nairobi in July 2008 (one RC staff member represented the Basel, Stockholm, and Rotterdam Conventions). The Secretariat has also (jointly with the chemicals conventions and SAICM) provided inputs to other needs assessment meetings for the African and Caribbean hubs. The Secretariat anticipates continued participating through joint representation in upcoming meetings relevant to the EC MEA Programme.

EC-ACP Pesticide Management programme: An EC-FAO Contribution Agreement for Capacity Building Related to Management of Pesticides in African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries (EC-ACP Pesticide Programme) began its inception in March 2009. The agreement includes work with the regional hubs of SPREP, CARICOM and the AU. The project is managed by the FAO's Obsolete Pesticide Programme in Rome.

The Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention explored opportunities for working with the EC-ACP Pesticide Programme in planning activities that would support the implementation of the Rotterdam Convention at the regional and national level, and explored further opportunities for cooperation/collaboration with the EC-ACP project.

The Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention contacted countries participating in the EC-ACP Pesticide Programme and brought to their attention the opportunity to propose implementation of the Rotterdam Convention as one element in the EC-ACP Pesticide Management programme.

A number of countries have flagged the need to cooperate in specific areas, such as developing a legal base for pesticide management, information exchange, work with customs authorities and work on pesticide poisoning.

The Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention provided advice during the inception phase regarding integration of the Convention into the Pesticide Programme, with a view to ensure that during the implementation phase between 2009 and 2012 there is technical support from the Secretariat and that activities are linked to the Rotterdam Convention. The project will draw upon expertise and collaborate with the Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention on specific activities, such as pesticide poisoning in Syria and Cameroon.

Partners in the regional delivery of technical assistance

FAO and UNEP regional offices: A meeting for FAO and UNEP regional offices as well as Basel Convention Regional Centres and Stockholm Centres is proposed to be convened in September 2010 in Barcelona, Spain. One of the objectives will be to review progress in 2009 and develop further ideas for meeting the countries' technical assistance needs in preparation of fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties.

Capacity building related to MEAs in ACP countries: The Secretariat is working with the Secretariats of the Basel and Stockholm Conventions to support the implementation of the European Commission's MEA Programme for African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. The Secretariat has also (jointly with the chemicals conventions and SAICM) provided inputs to needs assessment meetings for the African, Caribbean and Pacific hubs. The Secretariat is in close contact with the UNEP Secretariat for this MEA Programme and reviewed the workplans for the regional hubs.

WTO: The Rotterdam Convention Secretariat was represented at a WTO Trade and Environment meeting for Middle East and Arab countries which took place in Amman, Jordan in Oct. 2009.

UNEP/ROWA: the Rotterdam Convention Secretariat was represented at a Regional Symposium on Chemicals Management in Arab States which took place in Damascus, Syria in Oct. 2009.

UNEP Chemicals Branch: the Rotterdam Convention Secretariat participated in a SC/DSD/UNEP organized workshop on Case Studies on sound chemicals management which took place in Geneva, Switzerland in Dec. 2009.

UNEP Chemicals Branch: The Rotterdam Convention Secretariat participated in a UNEP organized Meeting of Environment and Development Partners on Mainstreaming the Sound Management of Chemicals in Development Policies and plans in Geneva, Switzerland Dec. 2009.

The sixth meeting of the Chemical Review Committee (CRC)

The sixth meeting of the Rotterdam Convention Chemical Review Committee took place from 15-19 March 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting was attended by 30 government-designated experts and 62 observers from countries, regional economic integration organizations, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations.

The candidate pesticides sent to the Committee at its sixth session included: amitraz, azinphos-methyl, endosulfan, methyl bromide and paraquat.

The Committee reviewed the notifications for these chemicals and the supporting information provided by Parties and concluded to forward a recommendation to the Conference of the Parties that azinphos methyl be included in the Rotterdam Convention's Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure since two notifications had been found to meet the relevant criteria. Accordingly, a drafting group was established to work inter-sessionally on the preparation of the draft Decision Guidance Document (DGD).

When reviewing the notifications for the other chemicals, it concluded that only one notification met the criteria for inclusion in Annex III of the Convention for amitraz and methyl bromide, while the notification and supporting documentation for paraquat did not meet the criteria for inclusion in Annex III of the Convention. Accordingly, rationales on how the notifications for these chemicals met the criteria for inclusion in Annex III of the Convention were drafted and subsequently adopted by the Committee.

Regarding the new notifications for endosulfan, the Committee was unable to reach consensus that one new notification from New Zealand did, in fact, meet the criteria for inclusion in Annex III of the Convention and therefore agreed to defer further discussion on this notification to CRC-7.

Finally, the Committee considered and approved the DGD on endosulfan that had been prepared inter-sessionally by the task groups. The Committee decided to send the recommendation to include endosulfan into Annex III of the Convention together with the draft DGD, along with a summary of comments it received and a description of how those comments had been addressed, to the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties.

PIC Circular

In October 2009, the Secretariat issued a letter to Parties who had submitted less than 20 import responses and/or import responses that had been interim for more than two years. This letter encouraged those Parties to review their import responses and, in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 10 of the Convention, submit any outstanding import responses and/or inform the Secretariat of any modification that may have occurred since the interim responses were originally submitted. The Secretariat received a strong response from this letter and many new and updated import responses will be published in Circular XXXI of June 2010.

Since the start of 2009, three Parties that had not previously nominated a DNA have now done so (Croatia, El Salvador and Equatorial Guinea). The DNA register, which accompanies each PIC Circular, contains contact information for the over 230 Designated National Authorities (DNAs) for Parties to the Rotterdam Convention.

New Parties

Since October 2009, four countries have acceded to the Rotterdam Convention increasing the total number of Parties from 130 to 134 (as of 27 May 2010).

The new Parties are (listed in chronological order of ratification):

• Trinidad and Tobago (acceded on 16 December 2009, entry into force on 16 March 2010);
• Tonga (acceded 31 March 2010, entry into force on 29 June);
• Mozambique (acceded on 15 April 2010, entry into force on 14 July 2010);
• Guatemala (acceded on 19 April 2010, entry into force on 18 July 2010).
• The new Parties to the Convention have received information and offers of assistance from the Secretariat in relation to implementation of their obligations under the Convention.

The Ressource Kit

The Secretariat has continued its efforts in revising and printing the publications already developed and expanding with new information material the resource kit in order to meet the request of Parties different stakeholders.

The electronic learning (e-learning) programme on the key operational elements of the Rotterdam Convention has been translated into French and Spanish and is under finalization. It will be made available from the Convention website and on CD-ROM. This e-learning course facilitates continuous and self-directed training at the national level to assist with understanding the basic obligations of the Convention and meet the challenges that arise from frequent changes in the designated national authorities in some countries.

Designated National Authorities has been updated and revised. The updated and revised version will be available soon.

New guidance is now available to Designated National Authorities (DNAs) to assist in completing the Form for Notification of Final Regulatory Action, with the objective of improving understanding of the information requested and facilitating the preparation and submission of notifications that are complete against Annexes I and II of the Convention.

All publications are available on the Convention website.

Training and awareness-raising meetings

Sub-regional training and awareness-raising meetings support Parties in meeting their basic obligations under the Convention, and so they might fully benefit from the Convention and its activities. They are intended for new Parties and those that changed recently the Designated National Authorities, or for Parties that are having difficulties in meeting their basic obligations under the Convention such as providing import responses for Annex III chemicals. As these workshops are demand driven, the Secretariat completed 5 (instead of 4) sub-regional training and awareness-raising workshops, as shown below:

National and sub-regional Action Planning (NAP) meetings

These meetings provide participating Parties with the opportunity to identify elements of a national action plan on the implementation of the Rotterdam Convention and other Multilateral Environmental, as well as to set priorities and assign time lines and responsibilities. Countries have been selected to participate in such consultation based on expressed interest, and based on their level of experience in the implementation of the Rotterdam Convention. The secretariat completed the following national and sub-regional NAP meetings:

National Follow-up seminars: In cooperation with the FAO Regional Officers, national follow-up seminars are convened for Parties that had participated in the sub-regional planning meetings. Follow-up seminars will be offered in 2011 to Parties which participated in sub-regional planning meetings listed above.

Trade related issues

In 2009, the Secretariat conducted two meetings on trade related issues under the Rotterdam Convention, one for the European Community and selected trade partners and one for China and selected trade partners.
The overall objective of the workshops was to promote a shared responsibility in the implementation and enforcement of the trade related provisions of the Convention by facilitating dialogue among exporting Parties. The need to better understand the challenges associated with the operation of the trade aspects of the Convention, in particular the role of exporting Parties and the relationship between exporting and importing Parties, is an issue of concern to many Parties. The workshops provided an opportunity for exporting Parties to receive feedback on the effectiveness of their operational procedure and for selected importing Parties to better understand any changes that may be needed at the national level to benefit more fully from this procedure.
These workshops will continue in the future pending adequate resources.

Development of a monitoring programme on severely hazardous pesticides formulations

The Secretariat continued to work on the development of a tool kit on monitoring and reporting of severely hazardous pesticide formulations. The tool kit will provide useful information and guidance to countries that wish to address the issue at national level. An advocacy leaflet and a navigational guide were prepared and posters and information beneficial to respondents were drafted. The navigational guide introduces a number of documents relevant to setting up and implementing a system to monitor and report cases of pesticide poisoning. A large number of existing information sources were screened and references to most relevant sources are provided in an annex.

Several pilot projects were initiated in 2010. Inception workshops on monitoring and reporting pesticide incidents were convened in Togo and Syria, and stake holders drafted national pilot projects for Togo, Côte d'Ivoire and Mali, as well as for Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. Burkina Faso, Mali and Syria initiated implementation of such pilot projects on SHPF.

Resource Mobilization to support Parties

In collaboration with UNITAR, with the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention, with the Secretariat of the Basel Convention and with the SAICM, a draft guidance entitled "Financial Resource Mobilization for the Sound Management of Chemicals" is being developed with the intention to assist Parties accessing the necessary resources for the implementation of the chemicals and waste conventions has been developed by UNITAR in October 2010.

This draft was presented to the Parties and tested in the context of the Regional Awareness Raising Workshop on Enhancing Cooperation and Coordination for the implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions in Central and Eastern European Countries which took place 2-4 November 2010 in Bratislava, Slovakia. The same draft guidance materials were also tested in the Regional Awareness Raising Workshop on Enhancing Cooperation and Coordination for the implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions in Central America and the Caribbean that occurred between the 6-9 December 2010 in San Salvador, El Salvador (see item 11).

Additional workshops that will serve to further collect inputs for the draft guidance materials are scheduled for 2011. After these workshops, UNITAR will finalize the guidance material and make it available to all users.

Prior to the development of the draft by UNITAR, training sessions for the developing of project proposals were delivered at the sub-regional level as a part of the sub-regional awareness raising workshops on synergies amongst the three Conventions. These workshops were held in Pretoria, South Africa (October 2009), Montevideo, Uruguay (November 2009) and Beijing, China (April 2010) (see item 11).

Support to the preparation of notifications of final regulatory action

These activities are intended to build the capacity of developing country Parties to prepare and submit complete notifications of final regulatory action that pass the scrutiny of the Chemical Review Committee (CRC) in relation to the completeness of the notification against the criteria of Annex II of the Convention. This support is integrated within and as part of all technical assistance activities and workshops.

CRC Experts Training: The Secretariat organised a workshop for CRC experts to increase their awareness of the functioning, procedures and review mechanisms of the CRC. The Secretariat carried out training for the CRC experts in Budapest, Hungary in December 2009 and another is envisaged for 2012. As one of its goals, the trainings for "Effective participation in the Committee's work" also increased communication and learning between different regions. This training was well received and the Secretariat would like to hold it again at the end of 2011 when the CRC membership again changes.

Joint CRC/POPRC training to support the effective participation in the Committees' work: Given the fact that the Stockholm and Rotterdam Conventions chemical review committees (POPRC and CRC) have very similar mandates and structures, a number of joint workshops with the involvement of national authorities, technical experts, official contact points as well as well as with national stakeholders of the two conventions have been organized by the Rotterdam and Stockholm Convention Secretariats in different regions, as one of the technical synergies activities. The most recent workshop, which is the third of this series, took place in Colombo in January 2011 for the eastern Asian region and was attended by over 50 participants from more than 20 countries. This workshop addressed several items of the Rotterdam Convention's work programme including the notification process, information exchange as well as achieving synergies with Stockholm. Additional workshops are envisaged for other regions such as western Asia. The meeting also raised political interest in the work and relevance of Rotterdam Convention in Sri Lanka and the Minister of Environment of Sri Lanka also honored the meeting with his presence.

Notification guidance document: The Secretariat has developed a publication containing guidance to assist the completion of the form for Notification of Final Regulatory Action. The guidance aims to improve the understanding of the information requested in each section of the form and provides examples of information for each of the sections. This guidance is hoped to assist DNAs to prepare and submit notifications that are complete against Annexes I and II of the Convention.

Working with customs authorities

Capacity building for customs authorities: The Secretariat has been actively involved in the delivery of a number of training workshops in conjunction with the World Customs Organization (WCO) and with the Green Customs Initiative (GCI), of which the Secretariat is a partner. As part of the GCI, the Secretariat participated in the partners' meeting held between the 8 and 9 February 2010 in Lyon, France.

In addition, the Secretariat was jointly represented together with the Secretariats of Basel and Stockholm Convention and/ or through the participation of regional centers in the following training activities for customs authorities which were organized by the GCI/WCO:

• National Green Customs Workshop (Maldives, 11-15 July 2010);
• Green Customs Workshop (Dominican Republic, 12-16 July 2010);
• National Green Customs Workshop (Vietnam, 23-25 August 2010);
• Sub-regional Green Customs Workshop for the UEMOA (Niger, 27-29 October 2010);
• National Green Customs Workshop (Malawi, 12-14 October 2010);
• Green Customs Workshop for the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (Doha, 20-22 February 2010);
• Integrating GCI into national customs training (Antigua and Barbuda, 1-4 March 2010).

The Secretariat has also taken part in the fourth meeting of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements-Regional Enforcement Network (MEA-REN) in Beijing, China (September 2010). As well as in the Regional Green Customs Workshop for ECA Network Countries which was held back to back with the meeting of the ECA Enforcement Network between the 11-13 October in Turkmenistan.

In April 2010, the Secretariat launched a dedicated webpage on its website, describing the Secretariat's work on customs issues. The page is intended to provide readily available information on the Secretariat's activities relevant o customs authorities. The website can be viewed at: http://www.pic.int/customs/Minisite/Roles.html

The Secretariat has been involved in the development of a joint e-learning tool for customs officers on the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.

Working with UNITAR on the GHS: The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) is a system for standardizing and harmonizing the classification and labelling of chemicals. The Secretariat is collaborating with UNITAR on the development of joint capacity building activities to support the existing GHS UNITAR training programme as well as the joint development of related training tools and materials. Under this initiative, the Rotterdam Convention Secretariat has taken the lead to develop a guidance tool on GHS and the three Conventions. The guidance tool is currently under review by partners and will provide the basis for future workshops and information materials on GHS and the three Conventions. It is envisaged that the guidance will be finalized by the end of March 2011. In this context, the Secretariat participated in the GHS stocktaking workshop for Southeast, East and Central Asia, which was organized by UNITAR in Beijing 15-17 September 2010.

Probo Koala project: The Secretariat participates in the "Probo Koala enforcement Programme" led by the Basel Convention Secretariat. The Secretariat has provided inputs to the Programme currently being implemented in Cote d'Ivoire and which will be duplicated in various other African (and possible Caribbean) countries. Furthermore, the Secretariat was represented at the first consultation meetings in Abidjan in Nov. 2009 and Feb. 2010. (need to double check the date with Tarcisio/Francesca)

Fostering cooperation

Provision of Legal support to Parties and Secretariat

The Secretariat legal unit is providing advice and guidance on general legal and policy questions, including on implementation of the Convention and its related programme of work components, to individual Parties and to the Secretariat staff members, as well as partners (UNEP, WTO, etc.) and other observers or stakeholders, to the Conference of the Parties (COP), including the simultaneous extraordinary meetings of the COPs, and to the Chemical Review Committee as requested and needed, fostering synergies with other relevant Secretariats, such as the Stockholm and Basel Convention Secretariats, as well as other entities where necessary. In that respect, it is handling a wide range of legal and policy issues related to the analysis, interpretation and application of i) the provisions of the Rotterdam Convention and, where the case may be, the applicable rules of procedures, ii) other Multilateral Environment Agreements, iii) international, public, private, and administrative law, iv) international trade issues, v) other instruments governing the UN activities and operations, etc.

The Secretariat legal unit is providing legal support in connection with technical assistance programmes, such as the “Probo Koala project”, which is mentioned in section 8 of the current progress report, referred to as “working with customs authorities”, and more specifically, by developing the legal component of technical assistance programmes for Parties to ensure an effective legal basis for the implementation of the Convention and facilitate the development of national capacity, including personnel and infrastructure, to implement the legal obligations of the Convention. New and innovative mechanisms of delivering the information and assistance package to Parties include, among others, the inclusion of specific legal segments in the programmes of technical assistance workshops and the development of legal guidance materials such as case studies, fostering synergies with the Stockholm and Basel Convention Secretariats, where necessary. Secretariat legal unit has launched a cycle of legal workshops following a synergistic approach between the 3 Secretariats of the Chemicals and Waste Convention: the first workshop took place in December 2010, back-to-back with the ‘Synergies Workshop’ in El Salvador.

The Secretariat legal unit is cooperating with the UNEP Division on Environmental Law and Conventions (UNEP/DELC) to assist Governments in more effective and coherent implementation of existing international commitments by participating in, among others: the ninth Global Training Programme (GTP-9) on Environmental Law and Policy, held in November 2009 in Nairobi 2009 (see http://www.unep.org-/Law/Programme_work/Training/global_training_prog.asp), and the preparing of an integrated synthesis of existing international environmental goals, objectives and targets (see http://www.unep.org/law/PDF/ExistingIntAgreedGoalsandObjectives.pdf). In this context, the Secretariat participated in the “First open-ended meeting of government designated experts on a compilation of internationally agreed environmental goals and objectives” which was held from 29 – 31 March 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland. In further cooperative efforts, the Secretariat is working with the UNEP Chemicals branch and UNEP/DELC, for the delivery of joint UNEP/UNDP legal workshops, as launched in Cambodia in December 2009, and held in Zambia in July 2010 as well as in Uruguay in December 2010. In addition, the Secretariat is contributing to the development of UNEP Chemicals branch legal guidance on the sound management of chemicals, including industrial chemicals. For this reason, it participated in the “First expert group meeting on the development of legal and institutional infrastructures and cost recovery measures for the sound management of chemicals”, as well as in the second meeting, respectively held in April and November 2010, in Geneva, Switzerland.

In a synergistic approach to activities relevant to industrial chemicals, the Secretariat legal unit provided input as to a set of documents, currently tested in pilot national situations, and participated in the developments undertaken by the Rotterdam Secretariat in collaboration with key partners and stakeholders – please refer to Activity 24P-related section on industrial chemicals, as described further hereunder (No13). These inputs and developments relate to, among others, the: i) industrial chemicals roadmap / strategy; ii) pilot studies for improving industrial chemicals management in developing countries and countries with economies in transition under the Rotterdam Convention – from these pilot studies, the Secretariat is preparing case studies on the development of legal framework for industrial chemicals, which include an analysis of the challenges and lessons learned on the development of legal instruments in the specific countries and are expected to serve as a practical guidance to Parties; iii) WHO’s Risk Assessment Toolkit, which includes a section on the Rotterdam Convention.

Follow-up to the synergies decision

In follow up to the synergies decision as well as to the report of the Extraordinary COPs (available on the website http://excops.unep.ch/), the Secretariat has been involved in a number of activities:

Regional synergies workshops: The Secretariat continues to organize regional synergies workshops jointly with the Secretariats of the Basel and Stockholm Conventions to enhance cooperation and collaboration to facilitate joint implementation of the three Conventions at the national level. The first synergies workshops were held in October 2009 in Pretoria, South Africa, Montevideo, Uruguay in Nov. 2009 and Beijing, China in April 2010. Two additional regional workshops were held on 2010 in Slovakia (October) and in El Salvador (December). Additionally, two regional workshops are expected to take place in 2011.

Regional synergies programmes: The Secretariat has been supportive to the development of regional and national programmes for the joint implementation of the three Conventions at the national and regional level, in close cooperation with the Basel and Stockholm Conventions. In addition to this the three Secretariats held a meeting bringing together SC and BC regional centers, UNEP and FAO regional officers and experts with contribution from all three Secretariats in August 2010 (see item 15 for additional information on this meeting)

Inter-Secretariat Thematic Groups: The Secretariat participates in 5 of the different thematic groups (Technical assistance, Public awareness and outreach, Regional Centres, Clearing house mechanism and Scientific and Technical matters) established between the Secretariats of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions in order to increase cooperation and coordination on cross-cutting issues.

Working directly with individual countries on specific issues

The way in which the specific needs of individual Parties are addressed depends on the issue of concern and the Parties involved. One recent example is the country consultation planned in February 2010 for Colombia, which recently has become a Party of the Rotterdam Convention. Colombia had requested some specific guidance on the Convention‘s implementation (see section on new Parties for more information).

A joint supporting mission to Colombia was organized in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention. Ethiopia is strengthening its capacities to reduce the risks from pesticides through a number of trust fund projects with bilateral donors and FAO.

Upon request, the Secretariat is providing guidance and advice regarding import decisions and controls, and in setting up a pilot project on monitoring and reporting pesticide incidents. Upon receipt of requests for specific assistance on technical issues related to the implementation from D.R. Congo, Benin and Guinea Bissau, a technical mission to provide hands-on advice in resolving issues and to provide practical training.

Working on industrial chemicals

In collaboration with key partners (SSC, SBC, UNEP Chemicals, UNITAR, WHO, ILO, German GTZ, Swedish KemI, CIEL, OECD as well as other IOMC partners), the Secretariat has undertaken the following developments:

a) Developed an industrial chemicals roadmap / strategy that addresses 4 key pillars:

• Awareness-raising on industrial chemicals management and information exchange on the Rotterdam Convention and other relevant chemicals MEAs (Basel Convention, Stockholm Convention, SAICM, Montreal Protocol etc.);
• Building national capacity for performing risk assessments;
• Building national capacities for developing and implementing risk management measures (development/strengthening of national legislation and policies for the sound management of industrial chemicals);
• Knowledge development at the national and regional levels.

b) Strategic plan to support Parties to the Rotterdam Convention to strengthen capacity to provide Import Responses and Final Regulatory Actions for Industrial Chemicals under the Rotterdam Convention”

The focus of the strategy and its implementation is for Parties from developing countries and countries with economies in transition to strengthen their capacity to assess and manage risk, prepare and communicate their import responses and undertake decisions of final regulatory actions on hazardous industrial chemicals that are established under the Prior Informed Consent Procedure.

Thus, the aim of the strategy is to provide Parties with the capacity to carry out hazard and risk assessments on named chemicals and, based on the results of those assessments, decide on the risk management action that will be used to reduce the risk to human health and the environment as warranted.

The draft document will be presented to the COP at its 5th session.

c) Regional meetings: Joint Rotterdam Convention, World Health Organization, CIEL and GTZ; Awareness-raising and strengthening of Chemical Risk Assessment and Management of industrial chemicals

d) Industrial chemicals (asbestos) management project for the Asia Pacific region: The Secretariat is in the process of implementing a project in collaboration with WHO, ILO and other partners to support the sound management of Industrial Chemicals in the Asia and Pacific region, focusing on industrial chemicals, with a special emphasis on asbestos. WHO’s Risk Assessment Toolkit (see below) as well as other relevant guidance materials addressing health and environmental aspects will support activities in pilot countries.

Chronology of activities:

By the end of the project, the pilot countries would have achieved the following:

• Development of a sound basis for the management and disposal of asbestos, in the overall context of the implementation of the Rotterdam Convention;
• Development of awareness of the risks associated with the use of industrial chemicals such as asbestos in selected communities;
• Identification of a range of suitable/practical measures and approaches to mitigate the risks associated with the use of asbestos;
• A project framework for the development of industrial chemicals management that could be applied/replicated in a further range of countries in the region.

e) Pilot studies for improving industrial chemicals management in developing countries and countries with economies in transition under the Rotterdam Convention

Key objectives of the above-mentioned pilot studies:

1. To develop practical guidance to selected developing countries on how to examine the status of current national industrial chemicals management and to establish priorities to implement a sound national chemicals management system for industrial chemicals.
2. To strengthen the capabilities of Parties to assess risks associated with industrial chemicals;
3. To facilitate and promote the development of integrated and harmonized national industrial chemicals legislative and administrative frameworks to support the implementation of national obligations under the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions and other relevant legally binding international instruments;
4. To establish the foundation and key elements for a toolkit to be used by developing countries to undertake a process to collect information to determine the present national situation for example through the establishment of a national profile or an update of a national profile, and to analyze priorities for future activities to gain sound management of industrial chemicals.

Approach
Two countries expressed a willingness to participate in the pilot studies (Jordan and Botswana). These two countries will examine the national status of industrial chemical management through coordinated discussions and deliberations involving all relevant stakeholders. Elements of a toolkit developed by an international expert consultant in industrial chemicals management will be used to guide the process and the consultant will also facilitate and support the pilot countries. This analysis will involve countries building on information received to establish their status within a tiered structure to ensure that fundamental structures are examined and in place and capacity is increased in a logical step by step manner through the use of the information provided. The use of information from other countries will be encouraged and channels explored on how to obtain such information from other related MEAs.

WHO’s Risk Assessment Toolkit: the Secretariat has collaborated with the WHO on the development of a risk assessment toolkit that will support developing countries in their risk assessment efforts related to hazardous chemicals. The toolkit provides information, flowcharts and case studies on risk assessment methodology and includes a section on the Rotterdam Convention. The toolkit is already being utilized in the delivery of the Secretariat’s technical assistance activities on risk assessments, which are also being organized in collaboration with the WHO.

Legal framework for industrial chemicals: please refer to the section “provision of support”, under section 10 here above, as the legal programme and support are cross-cutting with such activities on industrial chemicals.

Establishment of a clearing-house mechanism

Since June 2010, the Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention has been working in collaboration with the Secretariats of the Basel and Stockholm Conventions on the following activities to establish a clearing-house mechanism:

Joint clearing-house mechanism activities

• Regular meetings of the inter-secretariat CHM thematic group and related task teams to discuss, inter alia, a common vision and long term strategy, the development of cross cutting information packages as "one-stop-shop" of information on chemicals and wastes, and a common look & feel and navigation structure of the joint CHM portal and individual websites;
• Preparation of a revised joint work plan for presentation at the Conferences of the Parties of the three Conventions for adoption at the ordinary meetings of the conferences of the Parties to the three Conventions in 2011;
• Preparation of a report on other clearing-house mechanism and similar mechanisms;

Establishment of the RC components of the Joint CHM and integration of all information exchange and CHM activities under the joint clearing-house mechanism of the three Conventions

• Ongoing development and improvement of clearing-house mechanism modules specific to the Rotterdam Convention, such as:
  • Review and adjustments of the existing Import Response module and online form based on comments, feedback & guidance received from both CHM pilot sessions held in 2009 & 2010 in Armenia and Vietnam respectively
  • Development of a module and online form for the submissions of notifications of Final Regulatory Actions
• Ongoing development of cross-convention clearing-house mechanism modules, such as:
  • Developments and refinement of country profiles
  • Design of an integrated chemicals profile
• Full revision and adjustments to website and CHM interface, including the integration of both portals and all information management tools to a new web interface fully harmonized for the three Conventions;
• Ongoing migration of existing content from current website to new joint web interface.

Envisioned next steps

• Continuation of all development activities described above for presentation at COP.5
• Continuation of regular CHM inter-secretariat meetings to ensure harmonization and integration of all future development activities.

Partners in the regional delivery of technical assistance

FAO and UNEP regional offices: A meeting for FAO and UNEP regional offices as well as Basel Convention Regional Centres and Stockholm Centres entitled "Joint Consultation of Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions with the Basel and Stockholm Convention Regional Centres and FAO and UNEP Regional Offices" was convened in Barcelona, Spain 27 September -- 1 October 2010. One of the objectives of this meeting was to review progress in 2009/10 and to develop regional strategies to allow the coordinated use of regional centres for the implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.

WTO: the Secretariat and its legal unit participated in meetings held at the Word Trade Organization, in particular to meetings of the Committee on Trade and Environment as well as to informal meetings and discussions with the Trade and Environment Division and the Legal Affairs Division. It also provided input as to studies and documents on trade-related measures contained in Multilateral Environmental Agreements, including the Rotterdam Convention, and on other cross-cutting aspects between Trade and Environment.

The seventh meeting of the Chemical Review Committee (CRC)

The next meeting of the CRC will take place in Rome from 28 March-1 April 2011. In this year's review list are eight chemicals including four industrial chemicals (PFOS, its salts and precursors, PentaBDE commercial mixtures, OctaBDE commercial mixtures, and pentachlorobenzene) and four pesticides (amitraz, carbaryl, endosulfan and a severely hazardous pesticide formulation, Gramoxone super).

PIC Circular

PIC Circulars XXXI (31) of June 2010 and XXXII (32) of December 2010 saw the publication of a total 40 notifications of final regulatory action for banned or restricted chemicals, which was double the number of notifications published in 2009. In addition, these two PIC Circulars saw the publication of over 700 new or revised import responses for Annex III chemicals, which is approximately seven times the numbers of import responses published in 2009. The Secretariat encourages Parties to periodically review their import responses and update them when necessary. Parties having difficulties submitting import responses are also encouraged to contact the Secretariat for assistance.

The DNA register, which accompanies each PIC Circular, contains contact information for the over 230 Designated National Authorities (DNAs) for Parties to the Rotterdam Convention

New Parties